


Tattoos

by Lady Logos (Logoht)



Category: Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz
Genre: Crime, Drabble, Gen, Mystery, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-27
Updated: 2014-10-27
Packaged: 2018-02-22 19:43:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2519567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Logoht/pseuds/Lady%20Logos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex ponders the future and the past, his history in his skin as plain as day.. For those that See..</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tattoos

**Author's Note:**

> This was a short drabble that I decided to publish here as well. I've made a few changes around, like fixed some grammar mistakes and added some things that I felt, were needed. Enjoy!

Tattoos, Scars and in some cases piercings were dangerous in my business.

Piercings could help us - gadgets could be used as piercings to the ears, lips, nose and numerous other places. Usually your enemies didn't strip you so well down, as to take off your piercings, they saw them only as a jewelry. Or in my case a rebellious teenager thing that they wanted no part of. If however your enemy did catch you with them, then your piercings could become the worst form of torture. Ears could be ripped open, same with nipples and other extremities. They could slowly , oh so slowly rip the piercing off of your skin, and it would hurt worse than anything you could ever even think of.

Those who were experienced with spies and other professionals of the trade, knew that piercings were a liability. They easily got stuck into things like clothing and therefore no true professional would wear them, other than to flaunt their skills. It was much like a long hair. Most military types and people in the industry, wore their hair short for the exact same reason. Such lifestyle choices often gave up too much information as well. Only those well versed in martial arts or those preferring to stay well behind the enemy lines, such as snipers, even dreamed of piercings and long hair.

Scars on the other hand were very common in my business. They were just something that told you that you had survived this or that. Nothing more, nothing less for you that is. To your enemies and even for your co-workers and rescuers they were something that identified you. Me.. Well I had my fair share of scars. Whip marks on my back, few bullet wounds that had scarred rather badly, silver lines that told you the tale of someone who had gone a little bit too happy lucky on me with a knife. So many scars.

I had been branded two times. One time, I was on a mission on south Africa. In there the local slavery ring had caught me and branded me to my left hip. It was an ugly scar that only told the tale that someone owned me. I didn't want to think about those times. They weren't my present any longer. The second brand I had, was on my left shoulder blade. This symbolized ownership as well, but on a wholly different level. I allowed this one to be placed on me. Most people thought that it had been put on me involuntarily. Such a simple mark really, yet to me it was important. It symbolized things on so many levels that even those that had an inkling of it's true meaning and how I had obtained it, wouldn't be able to truly grasp it.   
  
Tattoos on the other hand were even more dangerous. If you knew gang tattoos, organization tattoos, military tattoos and so on, you knew a lot about the people it was placed on. They could tell you the ranking in an organization, their spot in the hierarchy if one wished to look a bit deeper and did their research. Some were more personal of course. Even a simple writing, co-ordinates, a simple bird on ones neck, could tell so much about the person in question. Also how it was made was a great indicator. Those with trained eyes, could spot easily if a tattoo was done in a prison or if a professional had done it. Ink could reveal region and particular style on an artist, tell even more so.

I had two tattoos. First one I had on my left arm. It had a sword with yellow wings. A flag was over it that read: "Who dares Wins". It wasn't just my SAS tattoo. It was also my personal motto in a way. I had gone out one rather stormy day, with my old unit and they had paid for it, as one of their friends from another unit had tattooed it onto my skin. I fully accepted it. It told of my friendship with K-unit and it's members and how they finally had accepted me as one of their own.

Then the other tattoo. Well, the brand on my shoulder blade could have been a dead give away, but because no one knew about the tattoo it wasn't. It was very hard to find. Only those who knew where to look could have even a little chance at finding it. Behind my right ear, was a very small silver scorpion. If someone had found it.. Well I probably would have been dead now rather than, the best agent that MI6 had, nor the best sniper after Yassen Gregorovitch had trained, that SCORPIA had.

Living two lives was never easy.. But when you got the best from both worlds, and it allowed you very much leeway.


End file.
